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Described as a ‘Great President’ of Hell, the demon Marbas is the first demon in Ars
Goetia that does not conform to the royal European standard of hierarchy.
He is also a demon that seemingly manages to elude the demonic classification by Collin de Plancy in
his Dictionnaire Infernal, making him unique to Ars Goetia. However, if we look at Johann Weyer’s
Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, we do see Marbas - a Great President - appear under the name ‘Barbas’,
which suggests that this demon went by two different, yet similar sounding names. So far,
we’ve seen men riding crocodiles or horsemen that turn into horses, but with Marbas, we get perhaps
the first intimidating looking demon - one who has the body of a man and the head of a lion.
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And now back to today’s episode!
“The fifth Spirit is Marbas. He is Great President, and appeareth at first in the
form of a Great Lion, but afterwards, at the request of the Master, he putteth on Human Shape.
He answereth truly of things Hidden or Secret. He causeth Diseases and cureth them. Again,
he giveth great Wisdom and Knowledge in Mechanical Arts; and can change men into other shapes. He
governeth 36 Legions of Spirits. And his Seal is this, which is to be worn as aforesaid.”
Indeed, Marbas appears to take on a unique role as ‘President’ of Hell, or at least a president of
hell. How the presidency compares to the royalty of dukes, princes or kings is unknown to us,
but it can be safely assumed that Marbas is up there as an authoritative figure.
It is the demon’s physical form that might intrigue viewers the most - the body of a
man and the head of a lion. If we consider the symbolism behind his appearance, Marbas might
very well be the most fearsome demon seen in Ars Goetia so far. The lion, of course, known
as the king of the jungle and an apex predator contributes to Marbas’ frightening reputation.
In the underworld, he might very well be the ultimate predator with his power
and strength ensuring that he cannot be hunted by fellow spirits or creatures.
Furthermore, by possessing the body of man, Marbas adopts the perfect duality of man and
beast - he has the speed and ferocity of a lion, but he also has the stature and nobility of man.
The text also tells us that when Marbas is first summoned he appears in his lion form, suggesting
that this demon does not want to be summoned and will test the summoner by going on the attack.
However, at the request of the summoner, (assuming this is someone who knows what they’re doing),
Marbas will concede and revert to a more passive, human form where he is ready to acquiesce.
So what is it that Marbas can do for us? Well, like some of the previous demons he appears to be
very wise and can answer questions that might seem impossible - those that are ‘hidden’ or ‘secret’.
This may pertain to knowledge that we as humans, at least in a religious or biblical sense, are not
meant to know - perhaps information that pertains to the heavenly realms or even a God himself.
As we’ve seen in the story of Adam and Eve, mankind was never meant to have the knowledge
that they ended up possessing, and so it isn’t out of the question that there was
even more knowledge that remained hidden. You might say that Marbas offers this tantalizing,
yet most certainly forbidden wisdom - a gift that many would be hard pressed to say no to.
But Marbas isn’t just a teacher. He can be malicious as he causes diseases. Whilst we
are not provided much context for the use of his wicked power, it can be assumed that Marbas
can be commanded by the summoner to afflict someone with illness, or that he might even
cause illness upon those who have summoned him if they are inexperienced, or if they offend him.
Conversely, Marbas is said to also cure diseases and so, it can be assumed that
Marbas could be summoned to ease a person’s suffering or to heal them altogether.
Marbas also has profound knowledge in mechanical arts, leading us to believe
that despite his alarming lion form, he does have an enginerial or artistic mind,
allowing him to create and or modify machinery. We also see that where previous
demons in Ars Goetia can shapeshift, Marbas offers this ability to humans.
Interestingly, whilst it’s unclear what the hierarchical nature is between royalty
and presidency in the underworld, we do see that Marbas governs 36 legions of Spirits,
which is actually more than the Marquis Samigina , the Prince Vassago and the Duke Agares.
Ars Goetia makes it known that this is his Seal and that it must be worn by the
summoner when he intends to bring the beast up from the Underworld.
As mentioned, Colin de Plancy doesn’t appear to make reference to Marbas in
his Dictionnaire Infernal, but Johann Weyer does mention Marbas in the form of Barbas,
in his Pseudomonarchia Daemonum. We are told of virtually the same account,
“Marbas, alias Barbas is a great president, and appeareth in the forme of a mighty lion;
but at the commandment of a conjuror commeth up in the likeness of a man, and answereth fully as
touching anything which is hidden or secret: he bringeth diseases, and cureth them, he promises
wisdom, and the knowledge of mechanical arts, or handicrafts; he changeth men into other shapes,
and under his presidency or government are thirty six legions of devils contained.”
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